He smiles and takes a sip. I love how he’s fearless about the potential of burning his mouth. His tongue pokes out and wipes away at the foam on his upper lip. A sudden flutter tingles inside me as I imagine what else that tongue can do.
“So,” I start to say before taking my own sip. “Should I just call you ‘Stocks’ for short, or do you have a name?”
“Roman,” he says with a chuckle. “But if you’re looking to give me a nickname, I’d prefer ‘Shots.’”
“Why is that?”
“I used to work on Wall Street, but now I spend my evenings serving up drinks to my thirsty patrons.”
“You work at a bar?”
“Yes and no.” He shrugs. “I own the place and only step behind the bar when the place gets busy.”
“My brother owns a bar too. Well, technically, I guess I own a piece of it too, but it’s mostly his after our parents retired and handed it over to us.”
Roman looks up from his drink, his brow furrowing as if I’ve just said that crazy. I can see the wheels turning in his head, but I’m not sure what he’s thinking.
“You didn’t give me your name,” he finally says.
“Juliette Cap—”
“Capilano,” he finishes for me.
I’m taken aback that he knows my name. Not so much concerned, but my mind is inching in that direction. The app doesn’t share names unless we want to share them. I may have been tipsy when I reactivated my old profile onSmitten, but I was careful not to share my name. Even my photo covers most of my face. You can’t be too careful in this day and age.
“How do you know my name?”
Roman looks down at his mug and twists it slightly between his fingers a few times before answering. “I’m not sure I want to give you that answer.”
“Why?” I ask, my tone hardening.
He looks up to meet my glare. “Shit, that’s not what I meant it to sound like. It’s just that once I tell you who I am, I’m not sure you’re going to want to stick around and finish this date.”
“Try me.” I cross my arms.
He takes in a deep breath. “I’m Roman Monaghan.”
“Oh,” I say, my arms dropping to my lap when I realize why he didn’t want to give up his name.
4
Roman
For a second, I had one fleeting moment of thinking maybe me being who I am wouldn’t be a deal breaker. If she’s part owner of Capilano’s Bar, then there’s no way that her opinion of me wouldn’t be swayed by how her brother feels about me. He’s made it clear in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t like me and wants me to close my doors. But even if it wasn’t my dream to open my own bar, I’ve already sunk most of my life savings into the renovations and the business. There’s no turning back now— even if his sister is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Before today, I’d only seen her on a few occasions, and even then, they were always through a window at the bar. This morning was the first time I saw her in the window upstairs. When Maddie showed me her profile picture, I knew there was something familiar about her, but I couldn’t place it without seeing her whole face. But her soft, kind eyes should’ve been a dead giveaway.
“I suppose it’s safe to say that this will be our first and last date?” I ask, unable to completely hide the disappointment in my voice.
I wanted to ask her out the first moment I saw her out the window of my bar as she stood outside of Capilano’s. But the moment I saw Ben walk out and pull her into a hug, I knew that there was no chance for any kind of future.
“I know I should say yes,” she finally says.
A flicker of hope that I thought was snuffed out ignites in my chest. Maybe he hasn’t told her what he thinks of me after all.
“My brother hates you.”
Then again, maybe not.